Petals In The Wind
by Zatroopa
Summary: A collection of short RWBY stories of all kinds, ranging from alternate directions, to canon routes as well. Different teams? Good and bad swapped around? Childhoods of the characters themselves? All of these tales and more are here in this collection of tales. Chapter Four: A Unique Spin on Monochrome
1. A Horse With A Name

**Oh lord, who'd have thought that I'd be here again? Turns out that there's more time before Uni starts than I thought, so I decided to set up this collection of oneshots early, to pass the time. Now I should say it now, updates will be sporadic, and it may even be months between them and some may be varying in length, so keep that in mind when reading them.**

**This is going to be mostly AUs, but can be looking at pasts not mentioned by canon, expanding canon, and other things. Hopefully you'll enjoy them, if I do it right. This one has a simple premise, which is that the Grimm are slowly going extinct, and we'll see where canon goes from there.**

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><p>In one world, foul monsters are a deadly and ever-present swarm, consuming everything in their path, forcing humanity into a small number of nations, protected only by natural barriers, technology, and sheer will. These nations are cities in name only, easily dwarfing their original namesakes, with settlements placed down as both artificial barriers and as a way to spread out the population.<p>

Yet, this came from the Creatures of Grimm being dominant, which could have easily not been the case in another world.

* * *

><p>"Oz, I found him!" Peter cried out, amidst the wreckage of the battlefield.<p>

With a strength so unlike him, Ozpin dashed forward, leaping and side-stepping over the disintegrating bodies of the Grimm, with the smallest of Beowolves, to the largest of Goliaths, he focused on the single body ahead. At the sight of the man still breathing, a new energy came to the Huntsman, fuelled by the desire to have saved at least one man from all of this.

He should have done something. It was a month ago that he heard of a small group being sent into the Grimmlands to track down a humanoid Grimm, one that seemed to dominate its own kind through sheer strength, and he had assumed that the group would have had it handled by now, all of them being trained Huntsmen and Huntresses.

At the first distress call, that assumption was proved to be anything but true. Traitors in the warlords, hoping the beast would be distracted by fresh meat over them, Grimm being organised in their strikes, and an underestimation of the Ratking meant that the group had been cut down to a handful at best, tasked with the impossible.

From the fallen corpse of the monster, its face unrecognisable from the burn marks around it, Ozpin judged that the beast had been slain. From across the barren and dead lands before him, Ozpin could see the remains of a great battle, creating some colour in a land where the very essence of life had been sapped out, plants not even growing in the strange dust-like substance he walked upon, and they were unlikely to grow in the future despite the ash raining down.

Icebergs as large as any building in Vale littered the area, stretching out like any row of shops, the sight of Grimm entrapped in them proving a nightmarish sight, matched only by the new mountains of black sand and dust that strong winds from nowhere must have called upon. Ozpin didn't know much about the properties of the Grimmlands' ground this far north, yet he was sure that the flames consuming them were not common.

Slightly darker patches of black on the ground made his hair almost stand tall suggested powerful blows of lightning struck down in these areas, whilst the dampness of the area, and the sight of water pouring down from afar, made Ozpin wonder how much Water Dust had been used. All of them paled in comparison to the sight of how much the blade of the only survivor had managed to cut through the icebergs, Goliaths, and had even managed to cause mountains of the ashy substance that made up the ground to collapse somewhat.

Yes, a truly powerful battle had occurred, and the victory over the Grimm was a hard-fought one.

_Only it won't matter if I let this man die for nothing!_ Ozpin knew that wasn't entirely true, as who knew what this Grimm shaped as a human was planning. Even after the great civil war finally ended thirty-three years ago, and the recent construction of Mountain Glenn, humanity was only now starting to beat back the Grimm after their recent incursions.

The pragmatist in Ozpin told him that this sacrifice was worth the lives he saved, but the idealist, even after everything in his life, raged that something should be done.

Peter Arc deserved better than to die in a battlefield, in such agony.

Finally reaching him, the body looked as if it was barely staving off death. Whatever Aura that might have healed him, it had either gone into fighting Ratking, or healing earlier wounds, judging from how his left arm had been all but gnawed apart, and how his chest had been ripped apart twice, the second just below the neck.

Had it just been slightly closer, it'd have torn out his throat.

"Oz, we need to get his Aura working quick." Peter spoke with a rare seriousness, as he placed pressure on the wounds and tried his best to stop the bleeding. As he did this, he kept a vigilant eye out for any Grimm bursting into the scene. "Maybe we can try and place in our Aura, to substitute what he lost."

"We need to be quick, the gradual method may be too slow, and we won't stop the bleeding in time." Ozpin muttered, as he dropped the medical box and ripped it open, trying to find the right supplies.

"Use your Semblance!" Peter roared, as the blood began to stain their clothes. "It may buy us time!"

Ozpin considered the risks. He would only have a small window of time, his panic neutralising his training in extending the time he had to apply the proper procedures on Peter Arc. If he placed in too much of his own Aura, or the body didn't recognise it as Aura somehow, Arc would enter shock and die, but if he couldn't do something, the man would die anyway.

The choice was clear, and the answer obvious.

Within a blink of an eye, everything stopped moving around Ozpin, the weight upon him growing stronger, and his lungs no longer sensing air coming into them. Thankfully, he had a fair amount of speed, even without his Semblance, and set about doing what he could to prevent the bleeding and make bandaging the wounds easier, for what Aura could not heal.

As fifteen minutes passed, five minutes after he switched to transferring his Aura in a steady manner, while his lungs and neck were now tearing themselves apart, Ozpin undid his Semblance, and allowed the flow of time to return.

Peter Port, the naming coincidence between him and the man they were trying to save somewhat annoying, took over from there. Ozpin had done the best he could, using everything the medical pack he and Peter had been given had to offer, covering the six torn scars on Arc's chest with all the bandages he had, and allowing for the man's body to have enough Aura that his blood would not flood over his body again.

Had he been a few seconds earlier, Peter Arc would have died.

Had he waited a few seconds more to cancel his Semblance, he might have died.

Had Peter not taken over supplying further Aura, the result would have been up in the air.

Yet, as Ozpin took in mouthfuls of air, tasting the very corruption in it, he could hear the man lying next to him sputter and cough, hissing in pain. Peter whispered kind words to him, assuring him that he was alive and that the Ratking was dead, and that all of them would be going home. His lungs were still crying out in pain, but that didn't matter to Ozpin.

He saved a live, in the pits of hell, and that was all that mattered.

* * *

><p>"Don't make me use your first name." Peter Arc said, with a cheerful smile to him.<p>

The mere threat was enough to shake Ozpin out of his inner thoughts. On a bright and sunny day like this, the very air itself filled with the sounds of children playing in the nearby parks with the scent of a freshly made cup of coffee (he'd rather die than call it Joe) reaching his nose, it was hard to not have his thoughts wonder away from him.

When given the option, Ozpin used to always choose to go inside a restaurant, even on fine summer days like the one he was having. Perhaps it was something from his past, or his upbringing rebelling against the idea of enjoying nature, but he avoided the outdoor option. Sitting in a cafe, just across the street from one of the many parks, along the many shops that sprung up with the latest expansion, Ozpin never regretted being brought out of that habit.

"Sorry, Peter. I just got caught up in everything." Ozpin said, as he took a sip.

"Of all the places you chose to retire to, you had to pick Mountain Glenn." Peter muttered, his hair having turned from murky blonde, to shining grey, to a battle against baldness. "Philip and Marie, bless their souls, act like I'm at death's door when winter comes around. If it wasn't for Susie, trust my wife to be the one to know how my health is, I'd have had to sneak out again. Just to visit a friend!"

"Family tends to be irrational about such things, Peter, especially when it concerns the more elderly of them." Ozpin's smile was perfectly good-natured, and not at all mocking.

"I hate you, Peter does too, for how bloody young you look." He replied, motioning to Ozpin's body, before groaning aloud again. "I'll be in the ground before I hear you call me 'Pete', it'd make things easier." He lamented, his eyes glistening with desire.

"Then I lose my jokes. You must allow an old man his jokes." Ozpin always loved it when both men turned their head, when their names were called. Looking to the side, he could see Vale's second city bustling, even during work hours. "Mountain Glenn felt like a good place to be. A new beginning for mankind, to be the home of a man who saw the world start again."

"You told me that retirement would make you more direct with people, you old liar."

"Respect your elders."

Friendship between the two was a result that Ozpin never expected. Honestly, he had been in awe of the great Godfrey Arc, convincing the Crowns of each Kingdom that the Faunus were going to win, and deserved their rights, and then working with the Colourful Revolution to save humanity's freedom eighty-one years ago. The man was a hero, and Ozpin had barely saved his son.

Peter Arc's own injuries, along with the shattered remains of Crocea Mors, meant that his strength was nothing like before. He was still a good Huntsman in his own right, and helped in the near-victorious battle against the Grimm, surviving to the age of eighty and fathering two more children. It was a feat to survive this long, in their careers, and to reach the ripe old age he did, even if he looked barely over sixty.

_Aura can do amazing things, if you have enough, and learn at the right time._ Ozpin noted, although he knew that he and Peter Port were rare in lasting as long as they did, even when they avoided dying in their active career.

Most of their friends either died in doing their duty, or passed on in old age. Even in peaceful times, where the Grimm were driven back so far, death remained a powerful risk. For Ozpin, another path had become much brighter as time went on.

Retirement. He had taken the post of Beacon Headmaster when his predecessor died saving Mountain Glenn's walls, and just over eight years ago, he had chosen to step down and enjoy some peace and quiet, with the world looking as if it no longer needed old men with dark histories defending it.

A thought came to him. "I hear Jaune's doing well in his second year." From what Ozpin heard, it was a bumpy road, yet his heart translated into strength when his partner helped him. "Amethyst in her third year as well. Your grandchildren are doing well for themselves."

"I still can't imagine little Rebecca as a mother, even now." Peter held his head in his hand and guffawed, gaining a few stares. He paid them little mind. "I look at my kids and they look older than you when we first met."

"Now, now, they aren't in their mid-fifties yet." Just saying that made him groan and take a drink from the cup to distract himself. "I am amazingly old. How Peter stays so energetic will be a mystery to me." He may look young, yet Ozpin was starting to feel his age.

"You can always ask me." Pointing to himself, Peter's joke was obvious. "One of these days, people will think you've gone senile, refusing to give me a nickname. Or is that for my deathbed?" He asked, relaxing into his chair.

"The plan is to lie at the eulogy and say I called you Petey in private. Make sure your ghost can't enjoy it." Now his smile was mocking.

"Whatever the history books say, I'll know you can be a right arse." As he wagged his finger, Peter then exhaled loudly. "Glynda's been asking whether I can get one of the family, or you, to try and give a lecture to the Beacon students. Get them to rally up and remember that it ain't the end of their world, once the world is safe and sound."

"Now, Peter, I imagine humanity will find a new enemy in time." Ozpin allowed some cynicism to flow out. "Without the threat of extinction, how do we know that the Kingdoms won't bicker amongst themselves once more, or the Faunus Rights Movement won't turn even more violent, or the warlords of the Grimmlands may unite against the loss of their power? Life is not a story, for resolution never comes by quickly."

"Then it's a good thing we've got heroes." He said that with a wink, motioning to the world around them. "Oz, we've done more than enough in our lifetimes. We've got to trust in the younger generation, assume that they can handle themselves, now that the need for old warriors has passed. Isn't that why you resigned eight years ago?"

It was the truth. From what he heard, Glynda was doing a good job was Headmistress, managing to adapt to the role with ease, and the students graduating were managing to adapt to the idea of the world entering an era of peace, however far away it was. Peter admitted that the lack of Grimm to hunt was depressing, but there was a form of dark comedy that the hunter would likely soon follow the prey into the afterlife.

The build-up of resources in the Grimmlands were also a salvation for mankind, a mere fraction of a fraction managing to fill the cup once more, when it came to Dust. All in all, humanity would thrive for another century with the death of its mortal enemy, as prices would fall.

As the Grimmlands were claimed, most humans who set up shop in the past were moving to the central plains, their abuses no longer out of sight and mind. Most Grimm were now longer in what was going to be the Menagerie or the Grimmlands, and they mostly congregated in the central and northern areas.

Humanity was going to win the war.

_It's ironic, that this should happen after overthrowing those who thought that it was the main priority._ Order and freedom turned out to complement one another, rather than oppose them. It was a bright enough thought that made Ozpin down nearly half of his remaining coffee, in a single go.

His Scroll began to sing, as Ozpin moved to see what it was about. "I know I always said you needed kids, but at least your calls won't be about taking it easy." He then began to shake his head, muttering with affection. "Philip lost an eye fighting thousands of Grimm, and he says I'm not careful enough. Children, master hypocrites."

"It's from Qrow. No doubt giving me the latest." Ozpin pointed out. Glynda had made information more fluid, Qrow's calls likely going to Glynda, Ozpin, James, and many others in high authority who she trusted.

Ozpin would never have been so open, but that was how Glynda chose to proceed, and he just had to accept it.

_Monarch has been crowned. Identity still unknown. Crow-Eye is prime suspect, followed by Shu Tsao, and 'Grimmskull'._

That was interesting to hear, to say the least.

"Well, Peter. It appears that the crescendo to a long chapter in the history of man is about to be reached." Ozpin noted, staring right at his old friend. "Odds are that we will probably be alright, if things go well."

"Let's hope you're right."

* * *

><p>"Day 7, no signs of bad guys, keeping on the look-out though." Ruby dictated to her imaginary walkie-talkie, surveying the open plains from her vantage point. "Super-Special-Secret Agent Ruby Rose, out."<p>

"What are you doing?" The question probably came from someone actually standing tall, looking down on the girl lying down and holding binoculars with her left hand.

"Weiss..." Ruby tried laughing it off, only for her partner's sharp look to make the sixteen year-old back down. "Just making sure that there aren't any Grimm left in this area."

"We cleared it out five days ago. They're probably moving north with the rest of the packs nearby, after we chased off those Reclaimers." Weiss spat out those last words, with good reason. They seemed more concerned with getting money

As bad as it sounded, Ruby was slightly upset about how easy the missions involving Grimm were becoming. Third years were allowed to go on missions involving the older and tougher kind, and fourth years spent most of their time on missions and practical learning outside of Beacon, while second years like RWBY and JNPR were stuck with getting a few of the good missions near the second and third semester.

She remembered Professor Goodwitch's lecture on how this all could be lost in an instant, and that despite their eagerness, they needed to be ready for a final battle. It was just that Ruby had hoped that she'd be the kind of hero who could help people, instead of help in the clean-up, and maybe fight monsters of all kinds if the mission went wrong.

Look on the bright side, Ruby. You guys are trusted to be on your own. Ruby stood up and tried to calm Weiss with an innocent look, failing miserably. The two of them moved to go down the steps from the wall, more wide than tall at fifteen feet and miles and miles along the land, to meet with the rest of the team.

How much could happen in a year and a month?

Blake's secret Faunus identity had been revealed around the second semester, after a Tournament battle against Penny tore her ribbon apart, and none of the team cared about it, even if it felt like there was something she wasn't saying. Weiss had slowly warmed to the team, to the point where the two managed to have a great match in the quarter-finals, showing each other just what they had.

Even if it was a double-elimination, which helped Sage after he barely defeated Nora, before Penny beat him in the finals.

That match between her and Coco (beating Pyrrha in the quarter-finals) during the semis was the best that Ruby ever saw.

Other than that, they mostly focused on passing classes, having fun, and completing missions given to them. Of her whole team, Yang barely changed, being the same thrill-chasing, butt-kicking, bruiser that was her dear older sister. Lately, though, she and Blake had begun looking around for her mother again, the mysterious first love of Dad's.

It made Ruby's mother, Summer Rose, sad whenever it got brought up, only she seemed to understand it.

Ignoring boring (and sad) personal stuff, most of the missions had been simple. Help move these people here because these criminals want to hurt them, protect settlers building outposts from the White Fang, and now they were in the south of the Grimmlands, making sure that some bandits, or Reclaimers as they called themselves, were stopped.

For bad guys terrorising the people of Glimmer, there were a few good fights from some. Most were just big and muscular, easy for a Huntress to beat, while a few seemed to fight like the Aura Masters of old, and others had the coolest weapons of all time, which helped in making the battle of driving them off kind of interesting.

Their leader was a man nearly seven foot tall, who Ruby swore couldn't see. He fought with a mixture of a halberd and a sniper-rifle, a bit like Crescent Rose, when his hawk wasn't getting in their way, almost serving as his eyes in the fight. The bird would screech, and he'd turn to fire, or would swoop down and hit an open point.

Yang nearly smashed the guy's head off, when that bird swooped down, its claws almost glowing and drenched in something, and sliced at her left arm.

It bought the guy enough time to rally his goons and run off back to the central plains, where most of his kind were now, hiding from the swift and harsh beatdowns of justice. That seemed to count enough as a victory, and Team RWBY called it a day, after the townspeople started cheering and talking about how things were safe now.

Reaching the other two, Ruby could see Blake wrapping more bandages around the wound, her Aura somehow not working. "Yang's arm will be fine, as long as she doesn't stretch it out or do anything worse." She said, turning to see Ruby and Weiss. "What do you think they wanted?"

"Why, I don't doubt that they intended to bully us into paying some toll. It's been their game for decades, for those yearning for an honest life, until you fine Huntresses saved the day." The Mayor of Glimmer declared, two girl aides rushing behind him, one Faunus and the other not. He beamed at the four, or rather at one of the four. "Ms Schnee, I have the finest suite ready for you and your team. Just as befits fine paragons of excellence."

When she first saw the Mayor, Ruby wondered if he was moustache-bros with Professor Port, his being black to the teacher's white. The guy was dressed up like one of those old-timey business-people, down to the top-hat, as always, and had been 'Mayor' of the settlement for a few years. According to Blake, an elected leader was required for further help from the Kingdoms, and their old leader barely made it.

It didn't stop Ruby's teammate from glaring at the man. The Mayor had a lot of Faunus working in nearby mines, and his sucking up to Weiss since he heard her name made it obvious that the SDC owned the mines, kept safe by walls and guarded outposts.

"It's nice that you're being so generous. Still, I'm curious about your workers. Their conditions seem more like a company town, than an actual community, and there were some poor defences for keeping out the Grimm and bandits. Almost like it was more focused on keeping people in." Blake said, keeping her voice polite and curious.

"Well, you'd have to talk to our Human Relations Manager on that, I'm just the Mayor of the fine outpost of Glimmer." He replied, not before glaring at the Faunus aide, who wilted under it.

"Either way, the whole place looks like one of those run-down cowboy films. Glimmer could use a bit of glamour." Yang pointed out, holding her right hand out for high-fives.

No one returned it.

"Companies and private agents often provide security and supplies, until we can actually get this land growing again." The Mayor replied, treating Yang's joke and Blake's words with the same level of care. "You can speak to our Security Advisor, if you wish to learn more, but he's a busy man." He added, making it clear that they wouldn't.

"Mayor Rosa, surely you can at least arrange a meeting. How about when we're to have dinner? Unless we're not good enough company." Weiss innocently asked. Even Ruby could tell the threat, judging by how quickly the Mayor beamed and clapped his hands.

"I'll inform Mr Torchwick that he shall have to make an appearance. It won't be a few hours later than after your cohorts arrive from the eastern sections." He babbled, before rushing off and whispering commands to his aides.

Team RWBY were more concerned with the fact that an old enemy was going to be there.

"Torchwick? That goon who jumped me a year ago?" Yang asked, Ruby remembering how she helped Yang with the ambush, getting her ticket to Beacon. The blonde began cracking her knuckles. "He's getting dinner alright, with some punch to go with it."

"Nice try, Yang. That hawk somehow cut your arm deep, your Aura isn't healing it right. If I hadn't been there, with the training I had, we might have been in trouble." Blake said, with a strange look between the partners, Yang knowing something Ruby didn't.

At Blake's words, Ruby's sister just rolled her eyes. "Looking back, I really shouldn't have let you meet Summer, you both worry too much about me, Blake. Though dinner's going to be awkward, even with the 'Mayor' sucking up to Weiss so much."

"I can't help it if the Schnee name has a good reputation. Admittedly, for paying large sums to look the other way in shady business practices, but it's a reputation." Weiss said, going from proud to uneasy. "I'll change it when I can do something about it." She added.

At that, everyone had a nice laugh, as the sun beat down on them. Glimmer was in a nice kind of place, as green slowly beat back beige from the south, slowly moving north, and it wouldn't be long until the dead plains were replaced with life of all kinds.

_What was it she says? Oh yeah. The bad guys lose in the end, because the good guys got friends beside them._ Ruby smiled as she thought about her mother's advice, staying true as she and Dad were supporting her and Yang every step of the way. With her team by her side, and Crescent Rose in hand, there was nothing she couldn't do.

She did feel sad that world of Huntsmen and Huntresses fighting the Grimm were nearing the end, Vacuo being the last big Kingdom to report a Grimm a few years ago, and even the Grimmlands saw them falling back north. There were talks of a big battle planned, a final charge to take them out, and Ruby hoped she'd be a part of that.

After that, well, that was a big question.

"You guys ever think about what'll happen, once the Grimm are gone?" Ruby asked, ignoring their shocked expressions.

"Ruby, that's still a fair while. A decade at the least, even with the new construction and infrastructure aid we're sending the people here." Weiss said, before shuffling in the same spot. "I imagine peace, and further technological development."

"No, I think we all know what she means." Blake said, shrugging her shoulders. "There are a lot of options. We could join the military, take down criminal families, or maybe serve as a global peacekeeping force, like some people are saying Hunters should do. Professor Goodwitch and the others will think of something."

"I'm not stopping until I find out why my mother left, so maybe become a bounty hunter, or fighter-for-hire. Anything to keep the thrills going." Yang suggested, even if she seemed like she wanted to think of anything else.

Remember interview with Port, mission to help people in Palate in civil war.

About helping others, Ruby sticks to that.

"I guess I'll try and help people where I can, a wandering butt-kicker." Ruby decided, but not really, except for one thing. "Maybe I can borrow Zwei for that."

That got everyone laughing, as they headed back to their rooms.

* * *

><p>"My lady, ten more have come here, seeking sanctuary." The messenger knelt as he spoke, keeping his face down. "Would you have them join us?"<p>

"We'll need everyone we have for the campaign, let them in, but keep an eye on them." Cinder made sure that there were no illusions. "I do not want a repeat of last time. If you choose to follow me, you serve until the campaign is over."

The heads displayed by the gates were now skulls, picked clean when the crows were finished.

Most warlords tended to assume that the environment around their fortresses was ample enough deterrent for those fleeing, but Cinder took few chances, especially as Grimm numbers fell further and further around these parts. Her plans might have had more success, were it not for their decline along the rest of the world, bar this continent and the Menagerie.

Even then, only the north remained free of human presence. The central plains were slowly being pushed forth, and settlements in the south were now similar to any other, rather than tattered villages and hamlets that hugged the coast for dear life. The rise of Huntsmen and Huntresses in such areas played a good part, as did profiteers looking for the resources below.

_Still, that's where my success lies._ If Cinder could not bring down the world around her, she would have it at her mercy.

The messenger had fallen fled the throne room, when Emerald spoke up. "You know, we may need to move quickly. These guys came to us because we're their last hope, but if we're too slow, they could just get bribed into action like Torchwick."

His partnership with the Xiong Triads, and need to escape after some incident near a nightclub, had been an aggravation.

"A disappointment, for him to have been taken up with the rest of his crew, but not a disaster. Any who are thinking of doing so won't be able to. Ignoring the risk of death, who says they'll be accepted by society?" Cinder asked, already knowing the answer.

"Plus, they don't get to be king of the castle anymore." Mercury chipped in. "Just prison currency."

"Thank you, Mercury, always giving me pleasant things to imagine." Cinder muttered, the urge to laugh easily restrained. "We're giving them things to do, we're training them into a single army, giving them a command structure, something more than feasting on the remains of a mad dream for wealth."

"And more glory to you, oh Queen of Darkness and Light!" A certain native advisor declared, his trenchcoat flowing into the wind, his hat miraculously staying on his head. "Each day, more go to pay homage and offer what they can. Gold, weapons, ancient techniques and weapons, even a few men and women for your personal use. All for the mere purpose of winning the favour of the woman who shall control the Grimmlands!" He cried out, motioning a hand to Cinder.

"I must admit, Crow-Eye, I did not expect you to be so cooperative." She said, expecting the man (as far as she knew) to have been more of a challenge to recruit. Not that she was complaining.

"When faced with life or death, the choice is obvious." Crow-Eye replied, bowing his head for a second, before rising again. "I may as well curry some favour, with the life I have. That being said, armies of this kind need some sort of battle, unless we wish for old tensions to tear them apart."

He was one of many who feared the light. Cinder had an army of mercenaries, criminals, and former Reclaimers, who feared that the loss of darkness would reveal the actions they had done, and bring about consequences they'd rather avoid. When she emerged as a figure, mysterious yet powerful, it was natural that she would gain their support.

"Either way, we cannot move out yet. A single strike from a fraction of the armies the Four Kingdoms have, and our army would be broken." Cinder grimaced at the idea, her plan turning to ashes. "Then we'd have one path remaining, and I do not intend to take it."

A small yet elite group, Emerald and Mercury coming along well in their training, tasked with infiltrating and eliminating the seats of authority throughout the world, spreading paranoia and chaos. The number couldn't be more than ten, and mobility would be their strength, in theory.

_The odds of success would be too small, this is just barely the better alternative._ The occupation of the Grimmlands was useful enough, in getting what she wanted, and having a safety-pad to land on wasn't too bad. _Still, having my fingers on the throat of the Kingdoms will be a fun goal._

Humanity's boom in population meant more Dust and infrastructure was needed, and only the Grimmlands had the resources needed to fuel this demand. All she needed to do was drive off opposition, and then she would be in control of the fate of everyone who lived in the Kingdoms and beyond.

With a single whim, and in a matter of years, the world would look to her to keep their peace alive. If they attempted to remove her, there was the risk of the Grimm returning and losing the resources for a long time, and she simply needed to torment them enough that the world would be engulfed in chaos.

Of course, she would need to secure her domain, and ensure that the world knew to fear her. That was necessary, to prevent any bright ideas.

A hand took her left arm, squeezing somewhat. "Beware, for I see our enemies upon the shore of your Kingdom. A knife pointed to our throats, ready to cut us down, if we let them." He said, smiling at her as if it were all a game to him.

"Allow me to make one thing clear, Crow-Eye." Her words were soft, the implications were firm enough that he let go of his grip. "I have spent years rallying these people, training myself and my partners for this plan, and readying the necessary contacts to build my army. This enemy you speak of has nothing that can stop me, if all you see if their existence."

"They glimmer like jewels, some cracked, but still intact." He added, letting go and his single uncovered eye almost looking offended. "I see what I see. Interpret it however you wish." He explained, Cinder registering those words for later.

_I have an army of a few thousand men, more will be needed._ There was a surplus of warriors with a lacking sense of ethics in the Kingdoms right now, and it would give a good opportunity to investigate things in Glimmer. "Emerald, Mercury. We should head for the Kingdoms, we can try an old plan again."

"Not even the Xiong Triads wanted to work with us, are you sure?" Emerald asked, likely remembering the style of their refusal.

"Emerald, by now you should have more faith in me." Cinder purred, moving to stroke her cheek, which got her ward to melt down any resistance. "Don't think, just obey. I know what I'm doing."

"I suppose you wish for myself to watch over our army?" Crow-Eye gave an elaborate bow with his question, enough to show how artificial it was.

"If you'd be so kind, none of the warlords would dare challenge your authority." Cinder replied, as Emerald and Mercury joined her side to stare down the thing before them. _They're afraid of what's under the eyepatch. A human with a Grimm slowly devouring him, something no one would contend with if they had the choice._

Most of the warlords who had joined her by now were varied in many ways, some had scars both deep and light over their body, others took to wearing bones grafted to look like Grimm, and some seemed different in other ways. A blind man, who somehow trained his hawk in some form of Aura manipulation and knew his poisons, was someone she never expected.

Their Semblances were impressive enough to almost make up for their flawed organisation.

At her command, Crow-Eye left, likely to inform those in the fortress she called her base of operations. With that, Cinder was alone with her partners, Mercury being the first to speak up. "So, where should we go first?"

"Going down the stone roads leaves fewer questions, and it'll be harder to track us. We can use less public methods on the way back." Depending on the numbers, Cinder could use a submarine for the strongest, and allow the others to use the ships sending workers and migrants across. They could play the part of others searching for a new life. "Some outdated military equipment won't be missed, preferably one that can be submerged into water, to buy us some time."

"That can be the first thing we get." Emerald said, pulling out a Scroll, taking a fair while longer than most. Setting up your own network had its risks, in an area of such weak reception. "We should arrive at Glimmer in a few days, unless we take one of the vehicles."

"We'll take one half the way there, then we leave it at an outpost and walk. It'll be less suspicious, whether we infiltrate a mine and move from there, or play the refugees going south for warmth." Cinder decided, her brain calculating every scenario she could imagine.

"Always thinking of everything." Mercury teased, which got a warm chuckle from her.

"I wouldn't be me, if I didn't." She admitted, before moving forward, already knowing the ideal car to use. "Come now, the world isn't going to end itself."

The three of them, leading an army of a few thousand, would decide the fate of millions. She would arrive at Glimmer and see if there was anyone special, scouts mentioning Beacon students arriving, and then she would depart for the mainland. From there, all Cinder needed was to recruit enough people and then add them to her army, slowly growing stronger and stronger, before she could reveal herself to the world.

Had things been different, it may have just needed a push.

Now, it was going to be forced into chaos.

* * *

><p><strong>TLDR;<strong>

**Ozpin: Man, the world sure is nice and peaceful.**

**Cinder: 'Sup?**

**Ozpin: FML**


	2. The Princesses and The Knight

**Chapter two, hopefully this may gain more feedback than the first one, and this is going to be more of a safe AU than the first one. Instead, we'll be looking at a character everyone likes or dislikes, Jaune Arc, and his never-ending quest to help people however he can, even if before Pyrrha, his combat skills were bottom-tier to say the least.**

**Hope you enjoy it, and feedback is always appreciated.**

* * *

><p>"I thought Marie taught you about Aura." Dad admitted, sounding as hurt as Jaune was when he got rejected. "It seemed so basic, but it explains a lot."<p>

Once more, Jaune had been turned down for junior combat school, and with it, his dream of becoming a Huntsman had come to a crushing end. Beacon only accepted the best of the best, and most other combat schools of that level needed some kind of qualification for people to be allowed in, and even Dad's recommendation wouldn't be enough.

Not only that, but he had kind of gone all in with his dream of his, and now he barely had anything left. His family name would be enough to get him some kind of desk job, which only made him feel worse about how badly he did, especially when that job was probably going to mean nothing in the grand scheme of things.

After the whole thing went downhill, Jaune decided to train in the training room, seeing as it was named for that exact thing. Again and again, he used Crocea Mors and tried to follow the motions that all the other candidates did, and even tried the same feats as them, only to fail again and again. It was a vicious cycle.

It was when Dad came in, and asked about using Aura, that Jaune realised how doomed he was.

_Years of training, and none of you noticed?_ He forced the bitter thoughts back. Maybe they thought he didn't know how to unlock it himself, and didn't want to risk doing it themselves. Still, there must have been some sign that he had never heard of it.

Maybe he should have gone further into the library. He had just focused on swordsmanship and all that stuff, the words flying over his head, and ended up being too scared to ask Dad to show him how to do it, or Mum about what kind of lessons might help out his hope of getting stronger.

Instead, he was stuck here, having been doomed from the start.

"Well, too late for that." Jaune said, feeling too glum for his usual hopefulness. "I guess it's off to the farm."

"Son, I think we don't have to go that far yet." Dad replied, not putting a hand on Jaune's shoulder, seeing as the hand was where he no longer had an eye. "Just because you didn't get the fast-track option, that doesn't mean you can't become a Huntsman."

"That's the way it works." He didn't want false hope, not now of all times.

"In Vale and Mistral, maybe. Vacuo has different schools for people of different ages, and a lot of fluidity between the schools and the army, so there's that. Atlas has a different kind of thing altogether." Dad smiled, turning to look Jaune in the eye. "It's something a new friend of mine's done. You can become a Huntsman if the right people approve it, if they think you've got the right stuff, and no one in those positions disagree."

The sound of the door being forced open, and a certain brunette-haired woman rushed into the room, a piece of paper in hand. Jaune could recognise his loving, if over-protective, mother with ease, and she seemed ecstatic about something, although she seemed to have not noticed that her son was in the room with her husband.

"Philip! I found it, Jaune might be able to become a..." Her words left her, when she saw Jaune trying to wave at her.

"Well, we might as well explain it to him," Dad stood up, Jaune moving to do so as well, as he stood beside Mum. "There's a job in Atlas which looks pretty good. They offer on-the-job training, your own room, and the chance to expand your skills, not to mention a lot of professionals can lend you some advice. My friend works there a lot, and he can arrange an interview for us."

"It's not too high-risk, it's nice and safe, and you can call us whenever you can. Your father'll will be there to be a reference for you, and I am on call at any time, so it'll be easy to get." She then began to almost tear-up. "You will be away from home, having to stay in the same place as the person you're guarding. It's a great opportunity, and it'll be a way for you to get the skills to enter a combat school, or gain a private tutor."

Jaune, against everything his brain was saying, began to feel hope. It didn't sound like a hard job, and he could work on slowly becoming the guy he always hoped to become, not to mention that the place sounded like it had a lot of professionals there.

If his mother didn't think it was high-risk, it was going to be as threatening as a teddy bear.

"When do I start packing?" He asked, barely able to hold in his excitement at what was going to come next.

* * *

><p>"Well, Mr Arc, it seems that James made the right call in suggesting you." Mr Schnee said, sounding impressed from what Dad said. "Willow and Horace are saying I'm being paranoid, but recent threats have led to me thinking that additional security will be needed."<p>

"Dom-Don't worry, Mr Schnee-um-sir. I-I'm just the guy to do it." Jaune stuttered, trying to live up to how his Dad had sold him.

Jaune did know a fair bit about swordsmanship, but actually using it wasn't exactly something he knew how to do, and he wasn't sure if being able to fight any sixteen year old who didn't know how to use Aura was really something to be proud of. On the other hand, he was willing to learn new skills, like first-aid, different fighting styles, and other stuff.

"I know you will, I see a younger me in you," Mr Schnee replied, a bright smile on his face, as Jaune wondered what that meant. "You'll be living in one of our guest-rooms, the pay is twenty-two thousand Lien a year, certain training is compulsory and others are voluntary, and we will provide a uniform for on-hours outdoor work. Indoors, from what you've said, we'll try smart-casual and see if that's suitable."

"About the pay, Jaune doesn't have his own account," Dad said, going into the kind of talk Jaune barely understood. "Should we open an account, or could it go to the family, or is there something provided?"

"Ah, I see you're using a Schnee Banking System, smart choice, so we can set-up an account for his personal use. Hours are something we can negotiate, but for the moment it's mostly just keeping watch over the estate, and being there when there are outdoor events to be at." Mr Schnee replied, the two talking in tongues foreign to the sixteen year old.

Maybe he should say something

"So, who am I guarding again?" He asked, blushing at how stupid that sounded.

Only, it was Mr Schnee who looked taken off-guard. "Oh, of course. I shouldn't be keeping you from meeting the girls. It's better you see them before lunchtime, so you can bond with them for a while. I take it that your father is your representative in these negotiations?"

"Yep, I can trust him with anything." Jaune said, smiling at his Dad, who returned it.

"Fantastic, that's what the Schnee Conglomerate really wants to focus on. Family. I have a feeling you'll enjoy these next few years." Jaune moved towards the door, having spent nearly an hour in the main office of the Schnee home. "You can find both girls in one of the other guestrooms, there was a leakage in their normal room. First floor, just go right when you move up the main stairs, and keep going until you see 112. Make sure to knock first, that's one of our rules here."

"Thanks..."

"Mr Schnee or sir, whichever one you prefer." He said, moving to shake Jaune's hand, as the teen moved to head out and actually meet the people that he was supposed to be guarding.

He had been told that Mrs Schnee was in the hospital because of health reasons, which was why it was only the head of the Schnee family that he was talking to. Maybe the interview would have been harsher, if she was less likely to be taken in by Dad and Brigadier-General Ironwood (he never guessed that he'd be Dad's new friend) backing him up.

On the other hand, it sounded more like a dad being protective of his kids. Jaune remembered watching news reports about Faunus protests turning more violent by the day, riots in mines, and shops having their windows broken, so anyone would be trying to protect their kids as the focal point of a lot of people's anger.

It didn't seem too bad, if they were happy to accept Jaune of all people. Moving across the hallways, giving the impression of a palace rather than a mansion, Jaune felt awed by just how elaborate and grand everything was. Surrounded by the frozen weather of Atlas, Ice Palace looked as if it was the seat of a king over a land of snow, rather than just a few miles from the main city.

Atlas and its cities looked like it had a central heating system below, keeping the snow away from certain areas, and Ice Palace was no different. He felt the bottom of his shoes heat up with step, as if warding off the cold that held back the Grimm, protecting humanity's from its own double-edged weapon.

_I could be a poet, if this goes wrong._ Jaune shook his head, as if to dispel the negative thoughts. _No. This will go well, Jaune Arc, and you will be the best bodyguard ever if it kills you!_

The maids and butlers didn't seem to acknowledge, other than some of the younger ones smiling at him and others muttering about how he didn't wipe his shoes properly on the floor. They seemed to guess that he'd only be a guest for a few more hours, and then he would be on an equal level with the rest of them, so it would be better to see how he'd act.

Keeping the directions in his mind, Jaune found himself back at the regal front hall of the Schnee family, the patriarch's office beyond the stairs when he and Dad came through the front door. Turning and walking up the stairs, it was almost creepy how silently and quickly the servants did their jobs of keeping everything clean, as if they weren't even there.

Making a right turn, he counted each name in front of the door until he found the number he was looking for.

His hand waving over the door-knob, he thought about the girl he was about to meet and protect. _Stay cool, Jaune. She's just the person who can make or break your life, dream, and basically your entire future. No pressure._

Wiping the sweat on his trousers, Jaune just narrowly remembered to knock on the door, the sound echoing throughout the halls before him. He panicked about whether he had knocked too loudly, and if he was going to get yelled at for it, before a soft voice called out from the other side.

"You may enter." She declared, as he took that as a signal to open the door and enter the room.

"Hello!" A small girl waved, her teeth showing in that large grin, from her seat.

The room looked as if it was a fancy hotel, down to the bed with the drapes design with it, only with one certain addition to it. Three young girls sitting around a tiny table, along with a few giant stuffed toys for company, drinking tea and eating from the food provided to them, a butler with dog ears to the corner, as if awaiting an order to be given.

One of them was the girl who greeted Jaune, and looked nothing like the other two, with her brown hair flowing to her shoulders and in a pink patterned dress, swinging her legs from the miniature version of a luxurious red sofa. The other girl, sitting on her own, bar the giant penguin, had white hair styled in twintails, stuffing her face with a chocolate cupcake with little grace.

As crumbs fells onto her dress, the butler rushed into action and used a handkerchief he was wearing to wipe the crumbs off and retain her picture of cleanliness. Finally noticing the cleaning supplies on the other corner, it was clear who had to clean up after these tea-parties, although the small girl, probably only three or four, didn't seem to notice.

The final girl, sitting next to her eager friend, had a single ponytail for her white hair, and was wearing the same perfectly white dress as her younger sister. With her friend, Jaune guessed they were only five or six, even if the white-haired girl acted way older than that. It didn't stop her from enjoying a tiny version of a cake slice, her mouth moving up and down with a small smile.

Finishing their current snacks, all three pairs of eye turned to Jaune, which got him nervous.

What? No, I am not going to be scared off by little girls! He boldly told himself, as he bravely stepped forward to introduce himself. "H-Hey, girls. My name is Jaune, and I'm going to be making sure you're safe from harm."

At first, Jaune thought he nailed it, until all three girls suddenly looked horrified.

"What's gonna hurt us? Is it the Faunusus?"

"NO! No hurt Rice, no hurt Rice."

"Melody, the Fan-Faunu-Faunus aren't gonna hurt us. Winter, it's Weiss, and I'm fine." The ponytail girl said, before pointing at him accusingly. "He's tha one who broke the playroom."

Never before had such venom been directed at his direction.

"No! I didn't do anything to the playroom, and no one is going to hurt you." Jaune then made a heroic pose and pointed to himself with his thumb. "Because Jaune Arc isn't going to let that happen."

"Arc? You're the guy who fought dat Grimm!" Melody cried out, her identity obvious by her not being a Schnee, her expression like the sun's glare. "That show Daddy said was educ-good learning for me mentioned you, but then Mummy got mad because it got scary and now I can't sleep alone no more."

"Swor' Swor'!" Winter cried out, pointing to his sheathed Crocea Mors, before hacking and coughing. The butler, giving him a dirty look, ran over and produced some pills which the girl took happily, as he somehow brought out chocolate milk with it.

It didn't stop Weiss' eyes from looking at the weapon. "That's the famed Crosee Moos! Show it!"

_Okay, that's adorable._ Yet not adorable enough for Jaune to think that letting three young girls see a sharp metal blade was a good idea. "I'm sorry, Weiss, but it's too dangerous for young girls to be around. I'm only using it for training and if you're in dang-"

"Wanna see!" Melody cried out happily, leaping from her sofa and near his left leg, Winter rushing to join her on the right leg.

The tea party was apparently cancelled in favour of a 'Let's shove Jaune until he does what we want' party, bringing back school-day memories. As even the supposedly dignified Weiss moved to her sister's side and assist in shoving his leg, which wasn't exactly painful than actually just a light force on his legs.

"Show us! Show us!" All three of them chanted, as the butler shook his head rapidly and moved his arms to match it.

For being trusted to be the protector of the Schnee girls, he didn't know how he felt about the Faunus butler not trusting him to not show a fucking sword to little girls. _Really, really offended, but stay cool. It's not even Day One, you can do this._

The puny, yet relentless, attack from the children, after ten straight minutes, was starting to say otherwise.

* * *

><p><strong>I haven't decided how the age-changing thing actually works, but you just need to know that Jaune is looking out for LittleWeiss. Obviously before the White Fang goes violent, seeing as Weiss has friends, and Papa Schnee is not a huge A-Hole at this point.<strong>

**Remember that feedback is always appreciated.**


	3. Truly Terrible People

**Okay, chapter 3, and this one is going to revolve around teams being different, as will a fair few of the next few chapters. As readers of 'Rearranging the Board' will know, that's something I'm interested in, although this one will be a lot more comedic. My general thought process was 'who is the most likely to be fight first, questions later', the gut-instinct type of people, and what sort of team-up would be hilarious. **

**Naturally, Ruby, Yang, and Nora were on that list. Yet it lacked a certain component to it that was necessary, namely a fourth teammate, and I wanted to use someone who I had fun turning into a comedic dick in other works. The exact event is based off an Internet Box podcast (which includes a few RWBY VAs), and it was Episode 79, inspiring me to do this with these guys.**

**So, enjoy and remember that feedback is always appreciated.**

* * *

><p>"I can't believe we're actually doing this." Yang said, sounding excited and ashamed. Never before had the two emotions ever merged, at least for Yang herself.<p>

As she walked down the streets of Vale, mostly in the rough side of the city where the Faunus slums were a few stone throws away, and headed towards a certain drinking establishment, Yang felt a pang of anticipation. Looking to her left, her partner didn't have any sense of shame in what they were about to do, probably thinking it was going to be fun.

Well, yeah, it was going to be fun, if there were enough people there.

That had been the main rule of this little outing, that they'd see if enough people were also there that it wouldn't be too creepy to check out the event, and leave if there weren't. Yang didn't want to be the kind of weirdo who went out to see the stuff her team was out seeing, alone in some dark corner.

"I bet there's going to be lots of people there, I just know it." Nora boldly declared, grinning at Yang, who smiled back.

Nora Valkyrie had been a barrel of laughs ever since the two of them became partners in the Emerald Forest, just doing whatever came naturally to her, and the excitement never stopping. It was like being thrown into the deep end of a pool, you sank or you swam, and Yang was a great swimmer.

Even the self-professed thrill-seeker had to admit that it was a lot more intense than she first thought, but things soon became natural over time.

"What if they're all just strange people who the posters say not to be around?" Ruby asked, her voice as shy as her first day in Beacon. "Heck, what if we're the only people there? It'll be super-awkward, just watching-"

"The best thing ever?" Cardin Winchester asked, Ruby's partner and final teammate in Team RCVY (Rackley) without hesitating. "You guys wanted something to do during the semester break, so I found something. Loads of people are going to be there, trust me."

"Great, then we'll be the worst kind of people as a group." Yang said, not meaning a single word of it.

"These people must have volunteered for it, it can't be that bad," Neptune pointed out, his point probably having more weight, if he hadn't been giggling the entire way. "Oh dear god, this is going to be awesome."

"I would like to point out that this trip also lacks stuff blowing up, and people trying to murder us." Sun added, him and Neptune walking just behind Team RCVY.

Sun and Neptune had arrived in Vale a week before the end of the first semester, and got caught in some with Ice Queen's team that led to the six of them finding out that the White Fang and Torchwick were working together and-_oh my god, the first year is getting way too complicated for my liking._ Yang decided.

"Yeah, I should say this now," Cardin began, eyeing Sun, creating two signals to Yang and the rest of the team that he shouldn't be allowed to keep talking. "Listen, they might be doing more than one show, so don't get caught in the heat of the moment and go Faunus-crazy. You flinging crap everywhere isn't needed, okay?"

"Um...I promise I won't throw poop at people." Sun said, him and Neptune sharing a look that suggested that they thought the guy lost his mind.

"Awesome, this night'll be pre-gah!" The big jerk had been interrupted by Ruby using the spray bottle on him.

"Cardin, I thought we talked about this! You were being really good for a whole month, after that stuff with Jaune and Velvet. Now you went back to jerk-mode." Ruby lamented, having have had to go through five of them during the early days.

When Yang and Nora saw the odd pair, on their first day, it seemed more awkward than anything. According to Ruby, both of them weren't able to make decent conversation, and it all broke down into agreeing that they could work on it later, meeting up with Yang and Nora and then there was that whole incident with the Deathstalker.

After that, the three girls made the alarming discovery that Cardin was a butt of mega proportions. Ruby, as team leader, was lost on what she could do about Cardin bullying Jaune for being weaker than him, Velvet for being a Faunus, and not getting why that was bad, so a solution had to be found and was found.

From that moment on, all three girls of RCVY carried a water spray bottle to use on him, when he was being a dick.

"Ruby, seriously, fuck off. It makes my hair get half-wet, and I look like I was half in the shower." Cardin mumbled, as the group walked on. "Fine! I'll cut back. You used to be cool."

"I'm still cool," Ruby protested, despite her look of doubt.

"Don't worry, you're as cool as a cucumber." Nora swung an arm around her leader and held her close.

"Yeah, not at all."

Yang, as a responsible older sibling, decided to jump in. "You can be with us, Ruby, and let jerkface hang about in the corner alone."

As maturely as possible, she then blew an intense raspberry at Cardin's direction.

"Guys?" Sun cut in, getting all four to look at him. He was pointing at something, Yang realising the familiar neon sign as the bar that the poster mentioned, and they realised where they were.

From the outline of a bear's head, Yang could recognise Junior's symbol. It made sense that a guy like him would set up an event like this, so without morality or decency, yet appealing enough that it would attract some kinds of people willing to fork over twenty Lien per ticket.

_Knowing that guy, the drinks at the club would cost Ember Celica, if I didn't negotiate a 100% price drop._ By negotiate, Yang meant fight every single person in that club to submission, but it was kind of the same thing.

"Alright guys, remember the plan. We go in, see what the crowd is like, and either we go in, or we head to Club Gold and get drunk." She said, everyone nodding. "Except for Ruby, who gets orange juice."

"Wow, why don't you just blunt Crescent Rose? After all, she could just cut herself on the blade." Cardin's sarcasm was not appreciated, and never would be.

Ever.

"Come on, Yang, it's ten minutes before the fight starts, and all the best seats are probably taken by now." Nora said, both her and Neptune almost jumping on the spot.

Opening the door, she wasn't sure what exactly she had expected. The bar itself was kind of seedy, divided into two parts, one human and one Faunus, all of them looking as if life mugged them and ran off with their loved ones. Some of the humans glared at Sun, but glares from the Faunus side and the bartender got them to back down.

The event was outside of the bar, around the back, where there was enough open space for a small version of a wrestling ring if Junior so desired it for the many places he basically controlled. At worst, Yang thought there'd be one or two fat guys there to laugh, and at best about twenty to thirty other people who only looked kind of freaky.

So imagine her surprise, when the entire outside area was packed with normal people all gathered around sitting on seats, stools, and other seating arrangements around a wrestling ring that was actually normal size. Under the cold night sky, people seemed to be warmed by their desire to see what Team RCVY wanted to see as well, even if it was looking crowded.

"I guess people really liked what they saw." Ruby said, pulling out the poster. "It does say that they tour all Four Kingdoms, so they would have fans."

Cardin fell to his knees, joined by Nora and Neptune. "This is the best thing I've ever seen in my life, and it hasn't even started yet."

"This is why I became a Huntsman. To protect this," Neptune moved his hand over his mouth, visibly restraining tears. "Masterpiece."

"I found some seats." Yang found about five to six spare seats, ignoring the Malachite twins, prone to grudges, on the other side of the area.

As they moved, someone ran down the open space, from where there was some kind of dressing room of sorts right at the end, and his entire appearance just screamed 'douchebag'. It was probably an act, but he looked way too good at it. The crowd erupted anyway, because they knew what his arrival meant.

"Who wants to see some Midget Wrestling?" He screamed, drowned out by the roar of the crowd, as twenty of the fighters charged towards the stage.

_I am the worst person ever._ Yang didn't know what was worse. The fact that she loved what she saw, despite it being so horrible, or the fact that she didn't care.

* * *

><p>Once again, as always, Cardin was right.<p>

When he first showed them the poster for the Extreme Midget Wrestling Federation, his whole team looked at him as if he was some kind of scumbag, before looking ashamed of themselves. Except for Nora, who beamed at the poster and then glared at him. Ever since he had that cupcake that was lying around, she held some kind of grudge.

_How the hell was I supposed to know that you were 'saving it for later'?_ Cardin ignored that thought, taking another gulp of his drink and watching the magic happen.

"Oh man, he just stepped on his little sausage fingers!" The announcer cried out, as White Tooth smashed down on The Defender, drawing jeers from the crowd.

"Sun, he said little-pfft-sausage fingers-" Neptune cried out, leaning on his life partner for support, as the Faunus cheered on for the heel to lose.

Yang and Nora were busy getting hammered and following the crowd, now standing tall and erupting with joy as White Tooth got power-slammed onto the floor, before the mini-White Fang supporter got an elbow drop to the chest. Cardin joined in, before jeering even louder when the Dandy Boy interfered and put the beatdown on The Defender.

Honestly, the whole thing was obviously going to end in The Faun coming to save the day, before the chicks would start the fight as well. Cardin was kind of drunk, but even he could tell that the plot wasn't exactly complex, even if he was joining in on the fun of cheering it on.

Just as he thought, The Faun leapt onto the bottom rope and then the top rope (which was pretty cool), and then clotheslined Dandy Boy from the air, causing the audience to go crazy and drown out Neptune laughing all over the place. It wasn't like he didn't roar with pride, but there could have been a better message than 'if we come together and make out on the floor, peace will be next'.

The match was ending, so everyone had a few minutes to get more drinks and talk about what they had just seen. For Cardin, it gave him a nice long while to contemplate his team, and how he was feeling a bit unappreciated by certain members who thought he added nothing.

He was talking about Yang and Nora.

Ruby was an alright team leader, and wasn't a half-bad partner, and the two of them did make a pretty good team. It was just that she wanted him to be nice and friendly to everyone, even when they were clearly using the kind of body language that was just asking for a fight, without even needing to say it.

How did she know that Velvet wasn't the worst person ever, until Cardin pulled her ears? She could have been planning on stabbing one of them with a fork, or something. Jaune just plain sucked, he had the whooping in class coming, and only got his kicks from kicking small animals.

_Probably. Maybe._ Okay, Cardin might have been a jerk sometimes, but his team could try to get over those first days, and ditch the damn spray bottles!

He was moving to take another drink, when he saw something that rang alarm bells in his head. Yang and Nora were drunk enough that Professor Goodwitch would murder them, if it was a school-day tomorrow, and Neptune and his Faunus were busy getting their last giggles out and getting more booze respectively, so there was no one there for Ruby.

Which was kind of an issue, since she was being surrounded by two girls, one in red and one in white, and both looking way too drunk. He could barely hear them talk.

"Oh, so you know Yang, that's nice." Ruby said, trying to be friendly.

"Yeah, we know her. Smashed me through a glass tower." The red one said, getting a bit too close to Ruby for Cardin's liking.

"Don't worry, Militia. I'm sure that she can help. Your name is, like, Ruby right? Well, Ruby, how about you help us with your sister." The white one replied, smirking in a way that made Cardin frown, putting down his drink.

He had a feeling he was going to need to avoid getting any more drunk now.

"Oh yeah, Junior's wanted to talk to you. How about we go over there, and talk about paying back stuff?" 'Militia' asked, right behind Ruby, so the girl couldn't bail on the two. "Maybe Yang can work at Club Gold over the semester break, we need a waitress. Or she can pick the club, we have a lot of places for her."

At that point, Ruby tried to run but couldn't. Cardin had convinced her to have a few shots, just so they could live a little while Yang and Nora weren't looking, and this was backfiring on her now as she stumbled back, and was struggling to get out of the two girls' grip as they moved her.

Looking at where they were moving, he could see a giant of a guy with a beard on him talking to some goon, before seeing his minions grab Ruby. As he pointed to Yang and Nora, the whole drama ignored by the loud and drunk crowd, it was clear that this was a grudge that was being resolved.

Even when his team leader all but kicked him around, when they fought with weapons and BoneCracker couldn't keep up with Crescent Rose, Cardin won a few of their training matches. This was because Ruby was kind of shit at any fighting where they didn't use weapons, it being some kind of mental block in her mind, so even a sober her wouldn't have lasted long.

Being the nice guy he was, he tried to help his partner learn some unarmed combat, and they went kind of well, but it was nothing to brag about. Now Ruby was being kidnapped, trying to reach the others would take too long, and Cardin wouldn't be able to make it to those two girls in time.

_There is one way to stop them. It's right in front of you, well, behind you but shut up and do something with it!_ His mind chimed in, as he realised that he was standing right in front of the solution to his troubles.

Grabbing hold of the bar stool he was once using, he aimed it right at the head of the girl in white, and threw it with all of his might. He may not be the nicest of guys, but he wasn't going to let Yang get turned into a stripper or something, or let his partner become a blackmail piece, just because of some drama.

Unfortunately, the alcohol had gotten his aim going all weird, so the wooden stool instead smashed onto the side of the girl in red, causing her to fall to the ground, and attention to be directed right towards Cardin. Some people were already moving to attack him, not getting why he did it, when he looked to Yang.

"Those chicks were trying to kidnap Ruby and turn you into a stripper!" Cardin stopped talking so that he could deck some guy charging at him in the face.

Yang's eyes turned blood red, as she stalked towards the big guy near the corner of the outdoor area. "What the hell? We were going to discuss jobs! Bouncer, waitress, bartender, stuff like that! Not any of that stripper-okay you're not listening-swarm her!" He barked.

At that, all hell broke loose. Some drunk guys didn't hear anything and were trying to get at Cardin, who surged through them and managed to reach Ruby who was running towards him, the two of them forming a team as they fought. Well, Cardin fought, and Ruby acted to call over the others to help out, when she was making sure the people stayed down.

Neptune and Sun made it over to them, as Yang and Nora settled for smashing dozens of people to the floor, in an attempt to murder the guy who apparently organised the whole thing. Shots fired through the sky, as the bartender roared about settling down by the door, before the slobs in the bar crashed through and joined the brawl.

Just as he was having fun, Cardin felt a weight smash on his head. The Defender was on his head, slamming his tiny fists down on Cardin, while he barely saw Neptune trying to throw White Tooth and Dandy Boy off from him, as the wrestlers now joined the ever-expanding brawl. Everything was collapsing into chaos.

For the third time in the history of the International Midget Wrestling Federation, the event was cancelled owing to riots.

The bar brawl would extend to the Vale area, erupting into a riot, and causing hundreds of thousands Lien worth of damages.

Team RCVY, by the time windows started getting smashed, had fled the bar with Sun and Neptune in tow, lest their actions have consequence on them personally.

All in all, it was a typical night for a team like them.

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><p><strong>Yep, I made Ruby and Cardin partners. Whatcha gonna do about it? Anyway, this is the last of the quick-paced updates, as I mentioned in the first chapter, but I hope you enjoyed it as well. The inspiration came from thinking of a team that was 'fight first, logic later', and the setting came from the Internet Box, which you may enjoy if that's your thing.<strong>


	4. Dating What Daddy Hates

**Decided to give my own little spin on the old 'Monochrome but Daddy doesn't approve' route. Hope you guys enjoy, and feedback is always appreciated.**

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><p>"Father," Weiss started, forcing herself to summon the courage to keep on speaking. "I know that calling you over from Atlas distracted you from business, but this is important."<p>

"I would hope so, considering that I've had to have Winter take care of everything in the meantime." Frost Schnee, owner and President of the SDC, had little time for small talk.

At times, Weiss wondered why she was even having this conversation with her father, when she knew that a positive response would barely be tepid, and a negative response from range from a few words of contempt, and a barrage of fury erupted onto her.

Contrary to what some in the press thought, Weiss could count the number of times that Father had shouted with two hands. After all, why show yourself to have little control of yourself, when a icy glare and words that could turn a volcano into an iceberg could do the trick? A quiet lecture, filled with unforgiving iron, was enough to place pressure on Weiss.

Now, after having called him down from Atlas, his mood was already unfriendly at best, and it was all but certain that her confession would only make things worse. Why did she think that this would be a good idea? She could have waited. She could have come to him instead, during the end of the year. A fair Tournament showing would make him-

Her head stopped spinning as a warmth enveloped her hands, wrapping around each other between her legs, calming her down. Directing her gaze to her hands, she could see that they had begun to sweat, her body joining to coldly sweat under the force of her own father's gaze, now distinctly unimpressed.

That didn't matter, now that Blake was there.

The experience at Mountain Glenn, the fight on the train, and facing down the Grimm in Vale, all of that had served to remind Weiss that something was coming and that she wouldn't be as lucky as she had been before. There was a chance that she could die in battle, or lose her life in the Huntress lifestyle, without ever saying the truth.

Blake had been an enigma to the Schnee heiress. On the outside, she looked to be a quiet and studious type with sprinklings of cynicism and stark seriousness, and she was, yet there was a side that was playful and happy, yearning for a more idealistic world. She had been firm with Weiss, and had a bloody past, but managed to separate the heiress and her teammate while working to redeem herself for her actions.

Together, the two were an unbeatable pair, bar when they were with their partners, and they worked to improve the other. Blake was there to cut Weiss little slack when she delved into her less enlightened views, or when she was acting a bit too mean, and Weiss made sure that the Faunus didn't isolate herself from others, and that she was prepared for what came at them.

As time went by, certain feelings came to Weiss, feelings that she had never felt for any other. For weeks, she kept them locked away and restrained, thinking that they were ridiculous, that such things could never be returned. It was only when Blake confronted her that she admitted the truth to her teammate, and to herself.

She was in love with Blake Belladonna, and damn the consequences of that.

"I can come back later, if you can't say it now." Father said, the annoyance clear in his voice. Blake's grip tightened in anger, and almost spoke in anger, but Weiss moved to get in the first word.

"Father, I'm gay." She declared, the overbearing weight on her shoulders lifting, and her heart taking flight. "I am in love with the woman sitting next to me, and you'll just have to accept that."

"Alright then. I don't see why this couldn't have been done via your Scroll, it'd have saved everyone some time." He replied.

"I know you hoped for me to love and marry someone more advantageous to the family fortune, but that cannot be." Weiss said, letting out feelings she had kept hidden for the past few weeks. Nothing would stop her from confessing her feelings. "Blake and I are dating, and I hope for your approval, but don't need it. Our love is like..."

Weiss' speech came to a halt when she realised what her father just said. Hours she spent thinking of every horrific possibility, the sharp and cruel words thrown at her, and how wrong it could all go, and it was all for a few seconds of acceptance?

Even now, he looked the picture of apathy, tapping away at his Scroll, moving around accounts, as if he was having to make up for lost work due to a whim, rather than a confession. It was almost as bad as an angry reaction, if it wasn't for the fact that he did technically accept her relationship with Blake.

_His daughter just came out of the closet, and he doesn't even care?_ Perhaps he misheard her, or thought that she said something else. "Father, you did hear me, right?" She asked, part of her wondering why she was so desperate for such drama.

"Yes, you're gay, dating your teammate, and your love cannot be compared to anything else in the world. Either way, you can still have biological children." Father said, which got Weiss and Blake blushing. "That said, if you two advance this to a marriage, the family name will be Schnee." He said

Blake spoke up, her voice uneasy, despite her earlier confidence. "Schnee-Belladonna sounds better on the tongue than Bell-"

"No it doesn't. Schnee is the last name, and will be the family one." Father commanded, both girls deciding that this was a good concession to make, after everything else that happened. "Even then, I'm not too bothered. It is a pre-condition to the hypothetical children being the heir or heiress, in the future."

"I will admit, I am rather disappointed that you're thinking in those terms, but this wasn't the worst possible scenario." Weiss admitted, turning to smile at Blake, who returned it.

Everything looked to be okay. Yes, there was still the matter of Blake being a Faunus, and a certain group she was once part of, but Weiss was sure that the former was something that Father could be eased into and the latter was something to be safely ignored in favour of a fabricated past. She didn't think that he was quite so progressive that he would accept a human-Faunus relationship, after everything that had happened, but there was time for that.

Right now, she had her life with Blake to think of, the girl showing every single sign of happiness that Weiss did. A glowing smile, positive body language, her bow twitching.

"Why did her bow move?" And there went a moment of happiness in Weiss' life. "Her bow moved. Why?" Father asked, eyeing Blake as if she had just declared her love for killing small animals.

It was obvious. Her bow moved because they were hiding Faunus ears, Father's glare making it clear that he knew everything. The secret was revealed, and now Weiss and Blake had to make a new stand, the heiress making a last attempt at denial. "Well, Father, that's becaus-"

"I'm a Faunus. A Cat Faunus." Blake spoke firmly, removing the ribbon on her head to reveal a pair of cat ears. "Does that bother you, Mr Schnee?" She asked, his interrogative stare not shifting one bit.

Silence reigned over them, before a loud groan filled the room, the most emotion that Father had ever shown when it didn't involve Winter's health. At that, he began to mutter, the two girls not willing to interrupt him, so his words involving 'fetish', 'lust', and 'seduction' could be heard by both Blake and Weiss, the former's restraint being something to admire. In a rare moment of not reading the atmosphere, it seemed that Father had forgotten that he was not the only one in the room, before he looked up to them, specifically Weiss.

"Damn it, Weiss." He said, not quietly enough that Weiss managed to just barely hear it. With a reluctant sigh, he focused his attention to his Scroll again. "I'm not totally opposed to this relationship. What's done is done."

_He probably thinks I'm rebelling, or that this is some scheme by Blake._ Weiss might have complained about how offensive such words were, if she wasn't glad that he hadn't been too negative about the relationship. It didn't stop her from having to restrain a cutting remark about her age, and her maturity._ As if I'm some stupid child._

Either way, he continued working on his Scroll, only he was much tenser than before. Blake took the initiative and to play the peace-keeper. "Look, I think we've all-"

"I fucking knew it." Father growled, spinning the device around to show a picture that made Weiss' girlfriend go deathly pale. "Mind explaining this?"

It was a picture of White Fang goons together, all in masks except for someone on the far left side, enough of her face clear to reveal her identity yet not enough to show that she took any pride in what she had gone. Not only that, but Gambol Shroud was on the side that was being shown to the camera, turning what may have been a weak case into one that was as strong as steel. What made it worse was that Blake had the weapon attached to her right now, which Father focused all of his attention on, revealing the third big secret of Weiss and Blake's relationship in the span of five minutes.

"You just had to have that weapon on you, didn't you?" Weiss whispered, before accepting the inevitable. "Yes, Blake is a former, and I must emphasise the word _former_, member of the White Fang." She said, seeing the Schnee patriarch's jaw tighten and eye twitch in anger, before going back to his Scroll.

"We won't let you inform the authorities, or try to keep us apart." Blake said, Weiss nodding along. If Father thought that he could destroy their relationship, he had another thing coming.

"I know, the authorities cannot be involved, too much risk of media information getting out." He said, once again subverting her expectations.

_Why don't I have a good feeling about this?_

"Weiss, we need to take a pragmatic approach to this." He added, looking up at Blake before pressing a button on his Scroll, putting it down and doing nothing else. Weiss and Blake looked at each other, feeling a powerful sense of unease

It was very nearly the worst case scenario.

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><p>"Penny, let go of Blake!" Ruby shouted, having just arrived with Yang and Zwei in tow.<p>

"I am sorry, Ruby, but the White Fang must be eliminated." Penny said, only she sounded colder than before, as she swung Blake around for the hundredth time.

"Father! You can't do this." Weiss shouted, trying to save the love of her life from dying.

"Shouldn't would be the proper word, Weiss. I am perfectly able to do this, and the fact of the matter is that I should." Father replied, motioning to Blake with a manic look in his eye. "In case you haven't noticed, our friends and family are being murdered by these people. Note the present tense, as in they are still trying to kill us."

"Blake isn't like that anymore, she's helped defeat them."

"All to seduce you with her womanly wiles." Father waved off her criticisms, before moving down to pick up Zwei and dropped him into her arms. "Here, have a puppy."

"That is a fully-grown corgi, who is already with our team, and cannot replace Blake." At her sharp words, her Father barely moved, but Zwei began to whine in sadness. "I'm sorry, Zwei, but I don't want to love you in that way." She cooed, hugging him close, until she remembered what was happening.

"If you did, that would be the only thing that would make this day worse." Father muttered, as Ruby and Yang struggled to make the strangely robotic Penny to stop twirling Blake around.

"Someone-Help-Dying!" She cried out, a gap between each word as she was spun around again and again.

"Don't worry. I have been given clear instructions to not kill you, as that would be illegal, and a mark of a poor friend." Penny declared, which made everyone sigh in relief as she let go, sending Blake flying. Father, on the other hand, scoffed at her words.

"Bloody Geppetto." He turned to Weiss, glaring at her. "You literally have the worst taste in girlfriends, Weiss. Hang your head in shame."

"Maybe if you didn't try having Penny murder her, you'd get to know the real Blake!" That made Father roll his eyes and walk off, probably back to Atlas.

Well, there goes bringing her to Ice Palace. Weiss decided, as the rest of Team RWBY moved to grab Blake and make sure she got better, while Penny moved to walk with the head of the SDC. It was likely that she moved in on Blake, owing to the Schnee's influence in Atlas, and was probably ordered to hold back.

No doubt about it. This was the worst possible thing to have happened.

"How do you even know Penny?" Father asked, dashing back towards her, the abnormal girl right behind him.

Correction, now this was the worst possible thing.


End file.
